Stoke railway bridge to nowhere

Medway Council first said the A228
bridge over Stoke Crossing would open on April 14 - and then, after
a delay, it said the bridge would open on Saturday.

Yet yesterday not only was the bridge
shut, but there were also large chunks of Tarmac missing and no
workmen on site.

But an official has said it finally
opened to traffic earlier today.

Labour and parish councillors branded
the bridge a waste of money, as the only thing it crosses is a
single-track freight railway used fewer than 10 times a day. It
leads to Grain village and the Thamesport cargo terminal.

The council promised it would open two
days ago unless there were "prolonged heavy downpours or overnight
freezing", and stuck by the date even after thunderstorms last
week.

Grain resident Lisa Hood said: "I came
back from a night out in Rochester at 2am on Saturday and they were
working on it then. It's as though it's round the clock."

The project was approved in 2010 to
improve road safety.

The government paid for it, but
council taxpayers will have to fund a £1.2m overspend.

It was fast-tracked without appearing
before a value-for-money board. However, the council said it was
over budget because of clashes with a pipeline firm.